Wednesday 8 June 2011

More pics of my menswear...

My, what a week it has been!

Here are some pictures of a sleeveless jacket I made as part of my pre-collection, in a shoot for online magazine WeTheUrban, issue #2:




Sleeveless coat by me.
Photography: Barbara Anastacio.
Styling: Sylvester Yiu.
Hair & make up: Kenny Leung.
Model: Andy at M+P.


They got my credit all wrong though....DOH! Should of course read Rosie Alia, but hey ho!

I love the photos! And the dog....Kiki.

Pip pip! x

Monday 6 June 2011

Shoe love: Jodhpur boots.

My dad recently discovered this website, full of wierd and wonderful oddities, mlitary memorabilia and vintage clothes. The website is called Hogspear, and boy is it full of things I want!


 Now, recently my dad treated himself to some lovely boots from Hogspear, aren't they lovely?


 
Designed for riding, this style of boot is called a 'jodhpur boot', featuring ankle straps that wrap around the boot and a low heel.

These dark brown beauties are a thick leather, with all the best qualities of being pre-owned. Look at those creases and scuffs! And they have the most delicious shine. I wonder who they belonged to before? Some chap who'd go riding in the ground of his manor house perhaps?

Sunday 5 June 2011

My menswear in CuriousMan magazine!

A couple of months ago I had the privilege of working with some amazing people on a shoot for a new menswear mag called CuriousMan that was due to launch in April, but after some technical issues, it has just launched issue #1!

Here are the pictures from the mag...

(Click to enlarge)





Menswear by me.
Headplates/harness by Louise McKay for Rosie Alia
Photography:  Rachel Peng
Styling: Helen Stanley
Model: James Cutler at M&P Models
Hair and Makeup: Jessie Liang

The collection we shot was my graduate collection 'Morbid Anatomy' (heavily influenced by surgical history), mixed with a bit of my pre-collection (inspired by the animated film '9', and the idea of man vs machine).

Please head over to Helens Wardrobe, blog of the lovely stylist I worked with and check out her great work! I look forward to working with her again in the future!

Working with such talented people, the pictures couldn't have come out better! The model, James, was picked by the editor of CuriousMan and really worked for the look we wanted. The makeup artist created a pale, skeletal look. And the photographer Rachel Peng used digital and analog SLR's to take a variety of pictures, and played around with backgrounds, and both studio and natural light.

Hope you like the outcome chaps!

Friday 22 April 2011

Jewel brights: KG

These suede shoes from Kurt Geiger are a great addition to a summer wardobe...
available in bright jewel tones (my personal favourites being the pale blue), or a more classic navy colour for those of you less daring or looking for an everyday staple shoe.

 
 
KG by Kurt Geiger 'Bleeker' shoe, £95. 
Available here.



Friday 1 April 2011

Brand focus: Old Town

Old Town produce finely crafted made-to-order mens and womenswear from their workshop in Holt, Norfolk.

The thing that I love about this brand is the simple design and classic style of the items it offers. The company is strongly influenced by workwear from the period around World War II, and offers pieces with a sense of history.

Top left: Braces, £15. Top right: The 'Stanley', from £145.
Bottom left: The 'Overall', from £145. Bottom right: 'Slimmer' shirt, from £70.

They say of their products:

"One or two of our customers have enquired about the origins of the styles or patterns employed by Old Town. Having been very impressed by a friend showing me a bronze green velveteen frock coat which had been stuffed up a chimney in Yorkshire, possibly since the time of the Brontes, perhaps I can shed a little light on our source material.
Our single breasted rever collar jacket is an unfaithful copy of one found in a tool locker during the demolition of Stratford locomotive works; locker and contents seen on offer at Lea Bridge Road car boot sale.
Handed in as lost property in 1936, the originals for our style know as ‘High Rise’ were then mislaid behind a radiator in the London Transport Lost Property Office until redecoration in the early nineteen eighties.
Not so much lost as abandoned were the navy serge prison trousers left mysteriously inside a church porch on the north Kent marshes. For some years these trousers were one of the many curiosities to be seen in ‘Dirty Dick’s’ on Bishopsgate where the measure of them was taken as a model for our ‘Plains’.
Our popular ‘Overall Jacket’ is the mutant offspring of a pre-war lamplighter’s jacket glimpsed on the back of a chair in Coffee Republic at Canary Wharf."

 Now isn't that something lovely?
As items are made-to-order; you have the ability to choose the pattern you want in a wide variety of different fabrics and within around 4 weeks your item will be in your hands. And it was made especially for you, imagine that! But not to fear, there is still the opportunity to return the item if you decide it really isn't for you. Phew.


I particularly love the 'High Rise' trousers.

I strongly recommend this company for any lovers of vintage workwear, or looking for something a bit special. 
With Old Town, history is alive and well!

x

Thursday 31 March 2011

Rust-dyed tailoring

This beautiful piece of tailoring is by Katie Barett, and inpired by the decay and disrepair of a mental institution. The rust-dyed treatment of the fabric has got me head over heels in love with it.
 Available from Tout Nouveau, £320.

Dapper Man: Devonte Hynes

Yes, I've got something of a style-crush on Dev Hynes. 
For those of you that don't know, he is a chap formerly of the band Test Icicles, who now releases under the name Lightspeed Champion.
 He is a multi-talented chameleon of a man, being a singer, songwriter, composer, producer and author.

Photo by David Swanson.

In UK Vogue's 2008 'Fantastic' issue, he was featured in a shoot based on Roald Dahl.

Shot by Tim Walker.

And here he is again, in an interview for Vogue online.

 
Looking pretty smart on the cover of his
'Falling Off The Lavender Bridge' cover.

x

Wednesday 30 March 2011

Copper 'bird skull' tie pin...an outfit.

Over the years, I have somehow developed a fascination with the imagery of skulls, taxidermy, and the controversial tradition of hunting.
This tie pin by Frankii Tonge celebrates the haunting beauty of a bird skull. 
Available from Tout Nouveau, £50.
Team with a crisp white shirt, tweed tie and classic brown suit for a hunting-inspired look.

Tweed tie available from Topman, £10.
Mocha slim fit suit, Asos, now £76.

x

Tuesday 29 March 2011

Mugler's ad campaign AW11

Rick Genest aka 'Zombie Boy', shot by Nicola Formichetti
for Thierry Mugler AW11.

One word. Amazing.

A Brief History of: Brothel Creepers

TUK Mondo High Soled Creeper, 
£60.

I've had a fascination with 'Brothel Creepers', or 'Creepers' since I was about 10 when I remember going with my Dad to buy a pair. They are an iconic men's shoe style that has been having a bit of a rise in popularity. But whats the story, and how did these beauties come to be?

Creepers were originally developed by British shoe maker George Cox in 1949. 
He drew inspiration from the thick, crepe-soled boots of soldiers posted to deserts that, post-war, ex-soldiers started to sport at undesireable London nightspots.
The Creepers began to gain popularity with young Teddy Boys in the 1950's, and then had a massive surge in popularity in the 1970's as the Teddy Boy look suffered a revival. As the look became more extreme, the sole of the creepers seemingly did too!

One notable wearer of Creepers in the 1970's was, of course, Malcolm Mclaren.

Today, Creepers have been adopted for wear by all sorts of subcultures and fashion tribes and have become so sartorially popular that in recent seasons they have been seen reinvented on the catwalks of Fashion Week.

Prada's SS11 show featured shoes derived from a Creeper's shape, but mixing elements
of brogue, espadrille and even the trainer.

The company of George Cox is still producing Creepers to this day, and is continuing to innovate their classic Creeper. Their current collection for Oki-Ni is testament to the shoemakers versatility and continued innovation.

The Suede Creeper Boot is a fresh alternative to the classic creeper,
£170 from Oki-Ni.

 What are your opinions on the Brothel Creeper?
x

Monday 28 March 2011

Summer shirts: Topman's yacht print beauty.

Topman is currently delighting me with the amazing new season shirts in stock. This yacht print shirt is my current favourite, reminiscent of a chap holidaying in the 1950’s. Team with a pair of classic readers or sunglasses, chinos with the hem rolled, and some boat shoes for a smart summer look.

 
100% cotton.
Available from Topman.
£26

Pip pip chaps! x

Monday 21 February 2011

Dapper Man: My Dad.

He's a bit of a sharp dresser....think country gent crossed with dickensian urchin.
So, these are just a couple of images of my biggest style icon, Daddy Johnson:

Pocketwatch chain, waistcoat, flat cap and kneckerchief .

My Dad, sporting his tweed plus fours.

A very young Daddy Johnson in his Bauhaus phase!

This is a picture of my Dad having his 'proud father' moment at my menswear degree final show.

So consider this my 'proud daughter' moment!


Pip pip! xx

Friday 18 February 2011

"There are certain classic clothes which have a place in history, but a timeless appeal. Created in the past, they are still worn in the present. They have the look, the construction and the tradition that makes them absolutely right."

-Paul Keers, A Gentleman’s Wardrobe, (London, Weidenfeld & Nicholson, 1988) 8.